By..Stew Corbett

September 23^rd

 

Intro:

Stew: Every year, thousands of people across Canada start their first year of university. They come from different places and different backgrounds, but there is one thing they all must do, and that is cope. Stew Corbett talked to two first year students from Saint Thomas University about how they are adapting to this new lifestyle.

 

Sound:

School bell

Running on gravel

 

Sarah: I’m Sarah Peel and I am in my first year at Saint Thomas and I am from Hampton, New Brunswick.

Bridget: I’m Bridget Yard, I’m in first year and I’m from Timmins, Ontario.

Stew: How are you finding adjusting to a new life away from home?

Bridget: It’s a little difficult at first but I like it. With cross country training and with the caf and everything it gets a little hectic but so far it’s going very well.

Sarah: Yeah, I find that the hectic schedule actually makes it a lot easier. It’s not that you don’t miss home but you’re busy and you’re so busy that…you have time to call home and talk to people but you have enough going on that you don’t spend all your time missing home.

Bridget: I find the sleeping actually is really hard for me I really had to get used to a new sleep schedule.

Sarah: Probably more like the meal hall thing. You know I get up, I roll out of bed and I eat food. But now it’s like you get up you get dressed and then you go get food. It’s a little different because you need to go somewhere else to get food now instead of like having it with you.

Stew: What has been the number one thing that has sort of helped you adjust?

Bridget: I think I was paired with a good roommate who I am very compatible with. I’ve been spending a lot of time with her and she had a lot of friends from here. Because I’m from so far away I had to make all new friends, so that helped me a lot. The cross country team as well. Knowing people on campus before you actually have to go to your classes and just seeing friendly faces is very very helpful and being welcomed into a niche before you even have to figure everything out is definitely a good thing for us on campus?

Stew: How are you finding school? Classes and that.

Bridget: Classes I find are a big adjustment because not as much work is done in them, you have to do the work outside of the class and it’s more lecture and discussion. Which I enjoy but it’s still something that you really need to get used to. So many people having so many different ideas and not necessarily agreeing, it’s good for learning, I’m learning a lot more than I would ever have in high school but it’ll be a bit of an adjustment, I think.

Stew: What advice could you give students that may be having more trouble adjusting?

Sarah: Get involved in something. Get to know people before you get here. If you’re not the type of person who really is into like group sports. Get on Facebook, get on e-mail, get to know your roommate, get to know other people who may be going to the school. It’s really nice, I guess, with the whole internet craze that you kind of get the chance to talk to some people before you get here and I think that making the connection like again, before you arrive is a really really nice thing.

 

 

 

Bridget: I say just break out of your shell. I mean I’m not the most out-going person but since I’ve been here I’ve made so many new friends and I think if you do that you’ll be pleasantly surprised, you’ll defintely benefit from it. I mean, if you go up and talk to someone new, chances are they don’t that many people either and you can make a connection there. The social aspect is a really big deal for me.

 

Sign off:

Well there you have it. Thanks to the advice from these two young ladies, freshmen will have a fighting chance for years to come. For STU journalism, this is Stew Corbett.

 

Run time: 3:39